Piano-forte p



(No Model.)

W. A. CHURCH.

PIANO FORTE PIN FOR BALANCE RAILS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT IVAIJTER A. CHURCH, OF \VES" EATON, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES E. DAVIS,- GEORGE IV. DENNIS, AUGUSTUS BRADSIIAIV, AND FRANK YOUNG,

ALL OF CLIFFORD, NEW YORK.

PlANO-FORTE PlN FOR BALANCE-RAlLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,264, dated December 25, 1888. Application filed September 22, 1888. Serial Nib-286,0 (No model) tain new and useful Improvements in Piano Forte Pins for Balance-Rails, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

M y invention relates to balance-rail pins for leveling the keys of piano-fortes, organs, 850.; and the object of my improvement is to pro vide a pin of simple construction capable of permitting each key in said instrument to be raised or lowered or inclined to the right or left independently of the adjacent keys, so that a whole row can be leveled promptly without requiring the removal of any key, and perinittin g each rail-pin to be bent to the right or left, forward or backward, and is an improve ment upon the rail-pin for which a patent was granted to me November 29,1887,No.373,92i, the present invention being to prevent the bending of the screw at a higher point than desired and its becoming jammed into the screw-threaded adjustable portion of the pin.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of the pin constructed in accord a-nce with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, wit-h one of the keys of a piano and a portion of the cross-rail thereof (shown by dotted lines) in cross-section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a portion of the pin on a larger scale, showing one or two threads removed from the lower end of the screw to facilitate the bending thereof at that point when the screw is made of Bessemer steel or other similar rigid metal. Fig. I is a vertical section of the socket or handle for driving the bottom piece of the pin in the cross-rail of a musical instrument.

The pin is made in two pieces. The lower piece, A, consists of a suitablysized wire or polygonal small red, preferably square, cut in short lengths, (of about one inch and a quarter,) one end of which is pointed at a to facilitate its insertion into the cross-rail (also called the balance-rail of the musical instrument, and the opposite end of which is screw-threaded at a to be inserted and retain ed in the piece B. The body 01 the piece A being of polygonal. form, it is thereby prevented from turning or becoming loose after being driven into the cross-rail E. The piece 13 consists of a tubular stem, made either of spun metal or of a rod bored a portion of its length and screw tapped, as shown at l), to receive the screwthreaded portion c 01 the piece A. The lower portion of the piece B has a collar, h to form a rest for the lower edge of the piano-key and the upper end has suitable means for cngagement with a tool to rotate it. These means may be a slot to receive the end of a screw-driver, or a polygonal socket, or a polygonal stem, as If. To facilitate the production of a short-bend upon the lower end of the screw (6 close to the point where it joins the body A, particularly when the upper end of said body is driven slightly under the top of the balance-rail, the under side of the colla r 7/ of the piece B is made convex or semi-spherical at Z), so that the edge of said collar will not impinge upon said balance-rail, and when rigid metalas Bessemer steel-is used for the screw, one or two threads are removed from the lower or inner end of said screw. As the screw (L3 must it with considerable friction within the screw-tapped socket oi the piece B to prevent said piece from rotating under the vibration of the pianokey, I found that a long bend (in contradistinction to a short bend) upon the screw will cause it to become jammed and immovable in the socket of the piece B, and therefore found the present construction to be necessary. The convexity of the under side of the collar I) also facilitates the swaging with a hammer of the edge of the screw threaded perforation therein to cause it to grasp iirmly the screw (1", as above stated.

The parts A and B are preferably made of substantially non-corrosive metalior example, the part A of bronze and the part B of brass or of Bessemer steel. To drive the part A in the cross-rail E of a piano, i prefer to use 9 a socketed metal handle, D, the socket (l of which is of a suitable diameter to loosely receive the screw-threaded end. of the part A and of suitable depth to receive the length of the threaded portion intended to project above the said cross-rail, so that the end (1 of the handle acts as a stop and gage in its use. After the part A has been driven into the rail the handle D is removed and the part B screwed upon the part A until its collar 11 is close to the rail, and the operation is repeated for each pin in the instrument. A piano-key is then made to straddle each pin so that it rests upon the collar b the top of which is preferably slightly convex to facilitate the rocking of the key thereon, and if the slots in said keys have been properly bored the whole series of keys can be very promptly leveled; but if any of said slots are not vertical, or if any of the keys are warped, they can be properly leveled by slightly bending laterally the screw a at the point Where it issues from the cross-rail, and said bending will not interfere with the vertical adjustability of the part B upon the part A of the pin.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim A piano-key pivot-pin consisting of two parts, A and B, longitudinally adj ust-able upon each other, the part A being adapted to be driven and retained immovable in a piano crossrail, and the part B being provided with a stem at one end and a flange having a convex under surface, U, at the other, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVALTER A. CHURCH.

Witnesses:

E. E. MAssoN, HARRY L. AMER.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 395,264, granted December 25, 1888 upon the application of Walter A. Church, of West Eaton, New York, for an improve. ment in Piano-Forte Bins for Balance-Rails, was erroneously issued to Charles E, Davis, George W. Dennis, Augustus Bradshaw, and Frank Young, as sole owners of the patent, whereas the said Letters Patent should have been issued to said Church and Charles E. Davis, George W. Dennis, Augustus Bradshaw, and Frank Young, jointly, said Davis, Dennis, Bradshaw and Young being assignees of three-fourths interest only in said invention as shown by the record of assignments in the Patent Office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 8th day of January, A. D. 1889.

[SEAL] D. L. HAWKINS,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

Countersigned BENTON J. HALL,

Omnmisstoner of Patents.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 395,264, granted December 25, 1888 upon the application of Walter A. Church, of West Eaton, New York, for an improve. ment in Piano-Forte Pins for Balance-Rails, was erroneously issued to Charles E, Davis, George W. Dennis, Augustus Bradshaw, and Frank Young, as sole owners of the patent, whereas the said Letters Patent should have been issued to said Church and Charles E. Davis, George W. Dennis, Augustus Bradshaw, and Frank Young, jointly,

said Davis, Dennis, Bradshaw and Young being assignces of three-fourths interest only in said invention as shown by the record of assignments in the Patent Office and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 8th day of January, A. D. 1889.

D. L. HAWKINS,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL] Oountersigned BENTON J. HALL,

Commissioner of Patents. 

